Alley Cat Cafe

While I’m not a huge cat person, Alley Cat Cafe quickly turned me into a repeat customer with its cute/indie interior theme, great coffee and great sandwiches. You don’t have to hang out with the cats if you don’t want to, but they’re there (in a separate room) if that’s your thing. Run by wonderful people, can honestly say I’ve never had a bad time there.

The cats are great. They divide the two cat rooms into hyper and calm, but I would say the calm cats aren't as sociable as the "hyper" cats.

If you go around 2-3, the hyper cats seem to get tired and they start to nap.

Cool place!

Smaller cafe but plenty of space to meet up for a coffee. Usually get their London Fog when I go and has always been to my liking. You can also pay to go into a room with cats they have for adoption, but if not there is a huge window where you can watch the cats from. Local artists/makers have items for sale at the front of the store and can make for nice stocking stuffers/gifts for cat lovers.

The most lovely cafe in Ithaca! The atmosphere is so cozy, they have amazing specialty coffees, a whole wall of teas, and the menu is so well designed! The menu has such variety in it and has so many delicious meal options, I’ve tried many and never been dissatisfied. It is very gf friendly and has vegan options too. And- the cats & kittens are so so sweet 💕💕 (So is everyone who works there!) Can’t rave enough about how much I love this place.

Very nice friendly staff. Limited food menu but lots of coffee and tea varieties. The sandwich I had was good. It's a great idea for raising funds and awareness about the cats and kittens who need to find homes. There is a separate room where you can visit the kitties.

The cafe is a very nice cafe in Ithaca. I appreciated the welcoming atmosphere and how kind the attendants were. They were quick about getting our orders in and making our drinks/food. They also explained all the rules about the cat rooms and made sure everyone was prepared to go in. It was a great experience and I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys coffee and cats to go see this cafe.

Welcoming cat-themed coffee shop with a great coffee, espresso, and cold drink menu and a nice selection of breakfast, lunch & baked goods. The unexpected bonus is the cat room, a cozy cat hangout set up visit with the friendly resident cats. Highly recommend 😺

Hooray for Ithaca's first cat cafe! I just visited, on their second day open for business, but it already has the atmosphere of a business that's an established part is the community. The food here is delicious, and my almond milk latte may have been the best I've had in town, but the highlight of this place is definitely the kitties! It's only $5 per person (as of this review on 6/16/18) to spend a half hour in the cat room in the back, which today houses 3 adult cats and 3 kittens (SO CUTE). All are adoptable except for 1 adult cat. Somehow, I resisted trying to bring one home today, but I'll definitely be back, and I'm sure I'll break down and try to adopt one of the fuzzy felines at some point! I can't wait to find an excuse to return!

Just a few notes about the cat room:
- The front cafe portion (where food and drinks are served) is separate from the cat room in the back, but from the cafe area, you can see the kitties through a full-wall window. You can't bring your food/drink into the cat area.
- Pay for your visit to the cat room ($5/person/30 min as of this review on 6/16/18) when you're at the cafe register. Hopefully they'll add some helpful signage about the process up at the front, because it wasn't clear today, but it's only day two for the business.
- While the cafe is open from 7:30am to 7:00pm, the cat room is only open from 11:00am to 6:30pm (as of this review on 6/16/18).

(Edited to add the date of this review to my notes about prices and hours, since they could change in the future as the business matures and feels out the market)

This is one of my favourite spots in downtown Ithaca. The coffee and sweets are amazing, usually with gluten-free and vegan options available! It's a great concept to have the cats up for adoption and to let them get socialised. All of the staff is very helpful and friendly, and really care about giving you a good experience there!

What's not to love? Nice people, delicious tea, quiet and cozy atmosphere, and a room where cats will bug you for attention? I'll be back!